List of metals with their Atomic numbers and Properties

Metals are a group of elements with robust characteristic under general conditions. There are a total of 118 elements in the periodic table. Of 118 elements in the periodic table, almost 91 of them are metals. So a majority of elements are metals. They include alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals including lanthanides and attitude.

List of metals

Alkali Metals

The alkali metals are in group IA. They are positioned on the far left side of the periodic table. They are highly reactive elements because of their +1 oxidation state. Thus they quickly lose an electron forming an octet in its outer shell (completely filled) and form compounds.

These elements are found in isolated forms in nature due to their highly reactive property.

Only hydrogen is found in free form in nature as a pure element. It is s diatomic hydrogen gas where it forms a constant bond with itself. These metals form predominantly basic oxides and hydroxide and are hence called alkali metals. They have very low ionization enthalpy (amount of energy needed to lose an electron) so very reactive.

The alkaline earth metals are arranged in the group IIA of the periodic table. This is the second column of the periodic table after the alkali metal group. The atoms of all the alkaline earth metals have a +2 oxidation state. They are also quite reactive like the alkali metals as they can easily lose two electrons to form compounds. Thus, these elements are found mostly in compound form rather than in pure substance form. These alkaline earth metals are quite reactive but are still less than the alkali metals. They have low ionization energy but more than alkali metals so they are reactive.

Beryllium 4 –used in nuclear research

Magnesium 12 central atom in chlorophyll

Calcium 20 – the main component in bones

Strontium 38

Barium 56

Radium 88 –this is a radioactive element

Basic Metals

The basic metals are those elements that display the characteristics generally associated with the term “metal.” They are spread over multiple columns/groups. They have the ability to conduct heat and electricity. They also possess a metallic luster, are ductile and malleable. However, these elements also display some nonmetallic characteristics. While most metals are hard, lead and gallium are soft. These elements generally have lower melting and boiling points than the transition metals (with some exceptions).

Tennessine (in the halogen group but may behave more like a metalloid or metal in some cases . It is a synthetic element) 117

Transition Metals

The transition metals are characterized by having partially filled ‘D’ or ‘F’ electron subshells. Since the shell is incompletely filled and there is very less energy difference between the subshells, the electrons can jump from one subshell to another. Thus they can display multiple oxidation states. Due to their vacant orbitals, they form coordination bonds and often produce colored complexes.

The ‘D’ block metals are:

Scandium 21

Titanium 22 used to make airframes as it is light and can withstand extreme temperature

Vanadium 23

Chromium 24 used in electroplating

Manganese 25 used to make dry cell batteries

Iron 26 present in the blood, used to make many items of daily use

Cobalt 27

Nickel 28

Copper 29 used to make alloys

Zinc 30 used for galvanizing iron

Yttrium 39

Zirconium 40

Niobium 41

Molybdenum 42

Technetium 43

Ruthenium 44

Rhodium 45

Palladium 46

Silver 47 expensive material used to make jewelry with

Cadmium 48

Lanthanum (the lanthanides are inserted after this element) 57

Hafnium 72

Tantalum 73

Tungsten 74 used in light bulbs

Rhenium 75

Osmium 76

Iridium 77

Platinum 78 most inert metal

Gold 79 one of the most expensive materials to make jewelry with

Mercury 80 used in thermometers

Actinium (the lanthanides are inserted after this element) 89

Rutherfordium 104

Dubnium 105

Seaborgium 106

Bohrium 107

Hassium 108

Meitnerium 109

Darmstadtium 110

Roentgenium 111

Copernicium 112

The lanthanides and actinides are kept separately at the bottom of the periodic table in the first block so as to not disturb the structure of the table. They display more complex chemical and physical characteristics as they have orbitals that are energetically similar so the electrons jump easily within orbitals. The orbitals are also far away from the nucleus, so electrons are less attracted and this influences their reactivity.

The lanthanides (atomic number 58 to 71) are:

Cerium 58

Praseodymium 59

Neodymium 60

Promethium 61

Samarium 62

Europium 63

Gadolinium 64

Terbium 65

Dysprosium 66

Holmium 67

Erbium 68

Thulium 69

Ytterbium 70

Lutetium 71

The actinides( atomic number 90 to 103) are:

Thorium 90

Protactinium 91

Uranium 92

Neptunium 93

Plutonium 94

Americium 95

Curium 96

Berkelium 97

Californium 98

Einsteinium 99

Fermium 100

Mendelevium 101

Nobelium 102

Lawrencium 103

General distinguishing characters of metals

Metals are usually found in the solid-state at room temperature (except mercury exists in liquid state)

Generally, metals are hard.

(Except – sodium and potassium which are soft and can be cut with a knife)

Metals usually have high boiling points and melting points

(except mercury, sodium, potassium, gallium, cesium)

Metals have high density

(Except sodium and potassium)

Metals are malleable, that they can be beaten into thin sheets, like an aluminum sheet.

(Except mercury)

Metals are also ductile and hence can be pulled into thin wires. The copper wires in electric connections is an example.

(Exceptmercury)

Metals are sonorous and produce sound when struck.

(Except mercury)

Metals are lustrous, have a shining surface.

(Except sodium)

Metals are good conductors of heat

Aluminum is the best conductor of heat while lead and mercury are poor conductors of heat.

Metals are good conductors of electricity.

Silver is the best conductor while lead is the most mediocre conductor of electricity.